Life-preserving steamer-chair.



No; 841,348. PATENTED JAN. 15, 19071 A. L. RIGHOLSON. I LIFE PRESERVING STEAMER CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3, 1906.

rnswomzls PETERS co., WASHINGTON, n. c,

UNITED sT 'rns PATENT OFFICE.

LIFE-PRE SERVING STE AIVIER-C'HAJFL Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1511907;

Application filed August 8. 1906. Serial No. 3'Z9,I05.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM L. RIonoL- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of NewYork and- State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Preserving Steamer-Chairs, of which the fo1lowing is a specification.

It is well known that one of the principal causes of great loss of life in accidents or disasters occurring on the water by the reason of the collision of vessels or from similar circumstances results from the fact that the life-preservers provided for the use of the passengers are usually placed in some inaccessible position where they cannot be obtained quickly by the excited passengers. This is especially true on the usually crowded excursion-steamers that ply to and from the principal cities and excursion-resorts, and many instances are known where many lives would have undoubtedly been saved if each passenger had at hand a life-preserver at the time the accident occurred. It is manifestly inconvenient for each passenger to carry a life-preserve'r with him or her, and even if such were provided the inconvenience of carrying the life-preserver around would lead nearly every one to disregard the means of safety provided rather than to suffer the temporary inconvenience.

Realizing the above conditions the object of my invention is to provide an improved device which will embody in the one article a steamer-chair in all practical respects similar to the ordinary camp-stool, said chair includ ing a lifereserver in its inherent construc tion, so t at the party using the chair will have always at hand a buoyant support in the event that it is necessary to thrust himself to the water.

l/Vith this main object in view the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements, and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result, reference is to be hadto the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved lifepreserving steamer-chair with the parts in extended position for use as a chair. Fig. 2 is a similar view, but with the parts folded in position to be used as a life-preserver. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

My improved device comprises a seat 1, of canvas or similarstrong textile fabric, which iscapable of being folded, said seat being secured. at its front edge to a cross-bar 2', connected at each end to the upper end of a leg 3. Intermediate of their ends the legs 3 are connected to the sides of an air-tight box or casing 4, which may be formed of aluminium or other strong and light metal and which in the present instance is rectangular, as shown. The box 4 being air-tight is buoyant and capable of supporting considerable weight in the water, so as to constitute the main portion of the life-preserver as well as a part of the support for the seat 1. Preferably, to conveniently provide for this latter function of the box 4 it has short legs 5, secured in any suitable manner to its lower corners. The top of the box 4 is secured by any desired means to the rear edge of the flexible seat 1.

A loop 6, which may be formed of rope 'or the like, is secured at its ends to the top of the box 4, and when the device is being used as a chair said loop may hang freely down at the rear of the seat 1, where it will be out of the way, while it may also be used, whenever desired, as a handhold to carry the device from one place to another. The loop 6 is primarily intended to'be inserted over a persons head and around ones neck when the device is being used as a life-preserver.

Flexible securing members 7, such as cords or the like, are secured at one end to opposite sides of the box 4 near the lower end of the same, and in the present instance, as shown, these securing members are secured to the box by means of hooks 8. The legs 3 are preferably provided withhooks 9, and the securing members are provided at their free ends with loops 10, and they are intended to pass over said hooks 9 and be returned and have their loops 10 inserted over the hooks 8, in which position the said securing members Will form braces for the chair and prevent undue strain from being imposed upon the seat 1, while at the same time, whenever necessary, it is evident that the loops 10 may be readily freed from the hooks 8 and the securing members released from the hooks 9, so

that said members may be tied around the users waist or chest, so as to strap the lifepreserving box 4 securely to the body, with the parts in folded position in order that the device may be used as a life-preserver.

From the foregoing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have provided an improved device which may be used as a camp-stool or chair, having all of the conveniences of a device of this character, such as lightness and susceptibility to being folded and carried from. place to place, while at the same time when folded it becomes a life-preserver which is always at hand for use whenever the emergency requires.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is A A device of the character described, comprising a flexible seat, a cross-bar to which one edge of said seat is secured, legs'secured at their upper ends to'the ends of said crossbar, a buoyant box secured at'itstop to the other edge of said seat, the legs being pivotally connected to the sides of said box intermediate of their ends and provided below their pivot-points with hooks, a neckstrap secured to the top of the box, hooks secured to the sides of the box below the pivot points of the legs, and flexible securing members attached at one end tov one pair of hooks and provided at their other ends with loops, said 

